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Zach LaVine Scores Career-High 49 Points One Game After Benching

Zach LaVine became the third player to make 13 threes in an NBA game.

The Chicago Bulls' thrilling comeback win against the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night was powered by 49 points, 13 three-pointers and a game-winner from Zach LaVine

While trailing the Hornets by five points in the final eight seconds, LaVine made the second of two three-pointers that pulled the Bulls ahead in a wild sequence. 

The career-high performance came just one game after LaVine was temporarily benched against the Miami Heat on Friday. With the Bulls down 13-0 early, LaVine was sent to the bench after nearly three and a half minutes for "three egregious defensive mistakes" and did not return for over five minutes. 

“Zach LaVine got 13 points scored on him, I guess. Or was it the starting five? I don’t remember,” LaVine said, according to K.C. Johnson. “I thought I was trying to do my job out there. I can’t do anything about that. I just have to control what I can control. I can’t control my minutes.”

LaVine responded in the following game by shooting 13-17 from beyond the arc, becoming just the third player in NBA history to make 13 three-pointers in a game, along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The record for most in NBA history is 14—held by Thompson.

Seven of LaVine's three-pointers came in the fourth quarter, with his final shot leading Chicago to its sixth victory of the season.

"Once I shot it, I knew it was cash," LaVine said following the career night. "That was the craziest game I’ve been a part of."